The Tainted Taffy, page 1
A MAGNOLIA BAY MYSTERY:
THE TAINTED TAFFY
(A Magnolia Bay Cozy Mystery—Book One)
FIONA GRACE
Fiona Grace
Fiona Grace is author of the LACEY DOYLE COZY MYSTERY series, comprising nine books; of the TUSCAN VINEYARD COZY MYSTERY series, comprising seven books; of the DUBIOUS WITCH COZY MYSTERY series, comprising three books; of the BEACHFRONT BAKERY COZY MYSTERY series, comprising six books; of the CATS AND DOGS COZY MYSTERY series, comprising nine books; of the ELIZA MONTAGU COZY MYSTERY series, comprising nine books (and counting); of the ENDLESS HARBOR ROMANTIC COMEDY series, comprising nine books (and counting); of the INN AT DUNE ISLAND ROMANTIC COMEDY series, comprising seven books (and counting); of the INN BY THE SEA ROMANTIC COMEDY series, comprising five books (and counting); of the ALICE BLOOM COZY MYSTERY series, comprising five (and counting); of the MAID AND THE MANSION COZY MYSTERY series, comprising five books (and counting); of the TIMBERLAKE TITANS HOCKEY ROMANCE series, comprising five books (and counting); and of the MAGNOLIA BAY COZY MYSTERY series, comprising five books (and counting).
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Copyright © 2024 by Fiona Grace. All rights reserved. Except as permitted under the U.S. Copyright Act of 1976, no part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed or transmitted in any form or by any means, or stored in a database or retrieval system, without the prior permission of the author. This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This ebook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each recipient. If you’re reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then please return it and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author. This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, organizations, places, events, and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictionally. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.
BOOKS BY FIONA GRACE
MAGNOLIA BAY COZY MYSTERY
THE TAINTED TAFFY (Book #1)
A MASKED MURDER (Book #2)
A CAFE CONFESSION (Book #3)
THE FROZEN FIND (Book #4)
A CURIOUS CURSE (Book #5)
TIMBERLAKE TITANS HOCKEY ROMANCE
RINKSIDE ROMANCE (Book #1)
FLIRTY FACEOFF (Book #2)
MELTING THE ICE (Book #3)
THE PUCK STOPS HERE (Book #4)
GLOVES DROP, LOVE BLOOMS (Book #5)
ALICE BLOOM COZY MYSTERY
MURDER IN THE MARIGOLDS (Book #1)
RUIN IN THE ROSES (Book #2)
DECEIT IN THE DAFFODILS (Book #3)
SCANDAL IN THE SAFFRON (Book #4)
CATASTROPHE IN THE CARNATIONS (Book #5)
THE MAID AND THE MANSION COZY MYSTERY
A MYSTERIOUS MURDER (Book #1)
A SCANDALOUS DEATH (Book #2)
A MISSING GUEST (Book #3)
AN UNSOLVABLE CRIME (Book #4)
AN IMPOSSIBLE HEIST (Book #5)
INN BY THE SEA ROMANTIC COMEDY
A NEW LOVE (Book #1)
A NEW CHANCE (Book #2)
A NEW HOME (Book #3)
A NEW LIFE (Book #4)
A NEW ME (Book #5)
THE INN AT DUNE ISLAND ROMANTIC COMEDY
A CHANCE LOVE (Book #1)
A CHANCE FALL (Book #2)
A CHANCE ROMANCE (Book #3)
A CHANCE CHRISTMAS (Book #4)
A CHANCE ENGAGEMENT (Book #5)
A CHANCE DREAM (Book #6)
A CHANCE WEDDING (Book #7)
ENDLESS HARBOR ROMANTIC COMEDY
ALWAYS, WITH YOU (Book #1)
ALWAYS, FOREVER (Book #2)
ALWAYS, PLUS ONE (Book #3)
ALWAYS, TOGETHER (Book #4)
ALWAYS, LIKE THIS (Book #5)
ALWAYS, FATED (Book #6)
ALWAYS, FOR LOVE (Book #7)
ALWAYS, JUST US (Book #8)
ALWAYS, IN LOVE (Book #9)
ELIZA MONTAGU COZY MYSTERY
MURDER AT THE HEDGEROW (Book #1)
A DALLOP OF DEATH (Book #2)
CALAMITY AT THE BALL (Book #3)
A SPEAKEASY DEMISE (Book #4)
A FLAPPER FATALITY (Book #5)
BUMPED BY A DAME (Book #6)
A DOLL’S DEBACLE (Book #7)
A FELLA’S RUIN (Book #8)
A GAL’S OFFING (Book #9)
LACEY DOYLE COZY MYSTERY
MURDER IN THE MANOR (Book#1)
DEATH AND A DOG (Book #2)
CRIME IN THE CAFE (Book #3)
VEXED ON A VISIT (Book #4)
KILLED WITH A KISS (Book #5)
PERISHED BY A PAINTING (Book #6)
SILENCED BY A SPELL (Book #7)
FRAMED BY A FORGERY (Book #8)
CATASTROPHE IN A CLOISTER (Book #9)
TUSCAN VINEYARD COZY MYSTERY
AGED FOR MURDER (Book #1)
AGED FOR DEATH (Book #2)
AGED FOR MAYHEM (Book #3)
AGED FOR SEDUCTION (Book #4)
AGED FOR VENGEANCE (Book #5)
AGED FOR ACRIMONY (Book #6)
AGED FOR MALICE (Book #7)
DUBIOUS WITCH COZY MYSTERY
SKEPTIC IN SALEM: AN EPISODE OF MURDER (Book #1)
SKEPTIC IN SALEM: AN EPISODE OF CRIME (Book #2)
SKEPTIC IN SALEM: AN EPISODE OF DEATH (Book #3)
BEACHFRONT BAKERY COZY MYSTERY
BEACHFRONT BAKERY: A KILLER CUPCAKE (Book #1)
BEACHFRONT BAKERY: A MURDEROUS MACARON (Book #2)
BEACHFRONT BAKERY: A PERILOUS CAKE POP (Book #3)
BEACHFRONT BAKERY: A DEADLY DANISH (Book #4)
BEACHFRONT BAKERY: A TREACHEROUS TART (Book #5)
BEACHFRONT BAKERY: A CALAMITOUS COOKIE (Book #6)
CATS AND DOGS COZY MYSTERY
A VILLA IN SICILY: OLIVE OIL AND MURDER (Book #1)
A VILLA IN SICILY: FIGS AND A CADAVER (Book #2)
A VILLA IN SICILY: VINO AND DEATH (Book #3)
A VILLA IN SICILY: CAPERS AND CALAMITY (Book #4)
A VILLA IN SICILY: ORANGE GROVES AND VENGEANCE (Book #5)
A VILLA IN SICILY: CANNOLI AND A CASUALTY (Book #6)
CONTENTS
CHAPTER ONE
CHAPTER TWO
CHAPTER THREE
CHAPTER FOUR
CHAPTER FIVE
CHAPTER SIX
CHAPTER SEVEN
CHAPTER EIGHT
CHAPTER NINE
CHAPTER TEN
CHAPTER ELEVEN
CHAPTER TWELVE
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
CHAPTER NINETEEN
CHAPTER TWENTY
CHAPTER TWENTY ONE
CHAPTER TWENTY TWO
CHAPTER TWENTY THREE
CHAPTER TWENTY FOUR
CHAPTER TWENTY FIVE
EPILOGUE
CHAPTER ONE
Autumn Ray stared in puzzlement at the trickle seeping out from between the stone blocks of Harbor View’s side wall.
Water? Coming from out of the wall? How was this possible?
“You see? It’s like a miniature river, isn’t it?” Mrs. Finnegan, one of the guests at her historic bed and breakfast in Magnolia Bay, was standing beside her, looking equally bemused. It was her guest who had alerted her to this worrying and potentially expensive problem, and she’d rushed out to take a look. As always when this old house developed a new quirk, she found herself thinking: Really? What next?
“If it’s not one thing with this house, it’s another,” Autumn admitted, stepping forward to examine it more closely.
The source of the stream was at shoulder height on the wall, midway between the rather rusty drainpipe to the left, and the climbing hydrangea to the right, which was in glorious bloom.
The water emerged serenely from between two stone blocks, trickled down to the paving stones below, and then formed an orderly rivulet that wound its way to the grassy lawn.
But where did it originate?
Stepping back, Autumn surveyed the wall, adjusting the brim of the turquoise hat – almost the color of her eyes – that she’d grabbed on her way out. A lock of her strawberry blond hair blew across her face, and she smoothed it away.
“I don’t recall a water pipe crossing this section.”
“Don’t you have plans for the house, dear?” Mrs. Finnegan asked helpfully. “Surely you can look those things up?”
“Absolutely,” Autumn said, the word sounding a lot more confident than she felt. The old family home was one of the earliest houses on the island, and she wasn’t sure of the accuracy of the plans. The pipes might have been rerouted at some past date. People seemed to have been tinkering with this house ever since the first foundations were laid.
She did know that on the other side of this wall was the guest bedroom known as Bayside Bliss. She’d tried to give all the rooms catchy, nature themed names. Woodpecker View, Lilac Grove, Cedar Retreat, Sailor’s Nest – she’d included some of the features that tourists loved about this unique island.
There was a plaid sofa at this exact spot on the inside of the bedroom wall, and a soft, knotted rug on the floor. Just as well, the water was flowing to the outside, not the inside. But what if the leak worsened? It could be the start of a crisis.
Harbor View was fully booked. All six of the guest rooms in the old stone house were occupied. There was nowhere to move a guest. In fact, the entire island – twenty square miles of scenic, quiet, car-free paradise on Lake Michigan – was bursting at the seams with tourists.
Right now, there wasn’t time to fix anything, or call anyone, although she’d need to get a plumber to look at it later. From inside, she heard the phone ringing. It could be another booking – hopefully for next month, when she did have a small gap.
“Thank you for pointing it out,” she told Mrs. Finnegan, turning and rushing inside.
As she headed to the phone in the lobby, she heard paws padding along the carpet behind her, and felt the friendly touch of a cold nose, sniffing at the hem of her summery dress. Her dog’s presence reminded Autumn of her upcoming appointment.
“We’ve got to take you to the vet, boy,” she told Max. He wagged his yellow-brown tail at her, in a conspiratorial way.
“You really need to go,” she said. “I thought I saw you limping yesterday.”
Max gave her a beady stare as she turned to take the call. He knew better. Part golden retriever, part who knew what – perhaps a collie – he was a very intelligent dog.
“Harbor View, good morning?” she answered politely, if breathlessly. Mrs. Finnegan had followed her inside and was pouring herself some locally made lemonade from the glass jug that was a permanent fixture there during the summertime, along with the free tea and coffee.
“Good morning,” the cheerful voice on the other side of the line replied. “Do you have availability for next weekend?”
Autumn stared in consternation at her calendar. Not a space to be seen.
“I’m so sorry. We’re fully booked,” she replied.
“No problem,” the prospective guest said in a resigned way.
“You can try Waterside Lodge. Let me give you their number.” She read it out. Waterside Lodge, Harbor View’s down-the-road neighbor, was probably bursting at the seams too, but you never knew.
The caller thanked her and hung up, and Autumn turned away from the desk.
“What are you and your husband going to be doing later?” she asked with a smile, noticing that Mrs. Finnegan was carrying her purse and a sunhat, and looked ready to head out.
“We’re going out boating on the lake, and then we’ll have a late lunch somewhere.”
“You’ve chosen a perfect day for it,” Autumn said. “If you can, try to make a stop in the north of the island. There’s a lovely trail you can follow through the forest, and at the end of it, on the hilltop, there’s the most spectacular view over the lake, to the Wisconsin coastline.”
“Oh, that’s wonderful. I can’t wait to take some pics,” Mrs. Finnegan said. “We’ve had a wonderful time so far, and you’ve been a brilliant host. This has been the friendliest place we’ve ever stayed.”
Autumn smiled, thrilled by the praise. She liked making people feel at ease, and she was a person that other people loved chatting to. Even if she was waiting at the ferry stop, or in the dentist’s rooms, if someone sat next to her, they’d always end up telling her their life story.
It was a talent she’d inherited from her mother, who’d been the same, but she had realized over time it was a mixed blessing, because sometimes it was difficult to get people to stop talking.
Like now.
“And it’s the most peaceful place,” Mrs. Finnegan elaborated. "What an experience it's been, staying on an island where you have to walk or pedal or catch a horse-drawn buggy. There's not a sound to be heard apart from the clip-clop of hooves. Really makes you realize what we live with in our everyday life. I'll be sorry to get back home to our apartment in Raleigh, with all that traffic noise. I was telling my nephew about our vacation yesterday. He's always under such stress in his job that I worry about him. I told him he should come here for a while before he gets himself an ulcer.”
“Being here does feel like a breathing space, doesn’t it?” Autumn smiled, discreetly glancing at the clock on the wall. She needed to get going or she’d be late. It was a ten minute walk to the vet’s – and it wasn’t as if she could save time and jump in a car.
There were only a few cars allowed on Magnolia Bay. The ambulance, of course, the police car, and the island’s refuse collection and maintenance vehicles. Apart from those, nothing was allowed.
When Autumn was younger, her parents had boated over every summer to spend a full two months on the island. As a teenager, she’d fretted about Magnolia Bay’s glaring lack of shopping malls, nightclubs, or anything exciting. What a boring place. It had felt like banishment from society.
Now that she was twenty-seven, she felt differently from how she had at seventeen.
She’d inherited the family’s summer home five years ago after a tragic car crash had claimed the lives of her parents and her younger brother Theo, leaving her and her sister Willow alone in the world.
And, while working to turn the vacation home into guest accommodation, she’d rediscovered the magic of the island.
“You know, when I was a girl – some forty years ago, we had a cabin in the woods. That was also so quiet and peaceful, but I often found it a little scary,” Mrs. Finnegan said.
“Is that so?” Autumn asked, glancing again at the clock, which was ticking its way to eleven thirty a.m. She needed to get going now, or she’d miss the morning consultation hours.
“Yes. As a girl, I was totally convinced that there were bears living in all the trees surrounding it. I was terrified of being attacked by a bear.”
“It might seem funny, but it is a valid fear.” Autumn picked up her purse, reminding herself to be patient. She’d make it in time if she walked fast. Being a good listener, having people open up to you, meant that you had to hear them out.
“My dad didn’t help.” Smiling, Mrs. Finnegan sipped at her lemonade. “He told me a story, which, for years, I believed was true.”
“Is that so?” Without taking her eyes off her guest, using her peripheral vision, Autumn quietly gathered up her wallet and purse, hoping to goodness this wasn’t a long story.
“He said that once, on the drive to the cabin, he’d been unable to perfectly adjust the rearview mirror on his old Buick. But, when he was stopped at a crossroad in the forest, a bear strolled up and stuck his head into the car, took that mirror into his mouth, and wiggled it around. By the time the bear let it go and walked away, he looked into it – and it was perfect. The bear had adjusted it just the way he wanted. Can you believe I fell for it?”
“How naughty of him, but that’s a very clever twist to the tale,” Autumn smiled.
“I believed it for years. For years. Even today, I still find myself wondering if it was true,” Mrs. Finnegan said thoughtfully.
At that moment, a toasty smell from the kitchen reminded Autumn that the croutons she’d put in for tomorrow’s breakfast casserole were perfectly done, but a minute away from burning. Thank goodness for the conversation with Mrs. Finnegan. Otherwise, distracted by the need to get to the vet, she might have raced out and forgotten all about them.
“What a wonderful story. You have a great day. My assistant, Jasmine, will be here any minute and she’ll be looking after things this afternoon,” she said to Mrs. Finnegan, before dashing into the kitchen.
Hastily, she slotted her hands into the oven gloves and taking out the tray, placing it on the gas hob to cool.
Phew. That had been a near miss. And now for the much-anticipated trip to the vet.
“Max,” she called.
Golden tail waving, the dog trotted up obediently, and she attached his blue leash and picked up her purse. As she passed the hallway mirror, Autumn checked her appearance in the glass, removed a smudge of sunscreen from her chin, and raked her fingers through her shoulder-length hair, trying to create some order in the tousled waves.
This was more than just a vet’s visit. She was making a life decision. She hadn’t allowed herself to think about that, but now there was no turning back.
CHAPTER TWO
